Arabian Peninsula
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| Area | 3.2 million km2 (1.25 million mi²) |
|---|---|
| Population | ~78 million |
| Demonym | Arabian |
| Countries |
 Bahrain Kuwait Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates Yemen
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The Arabian Peninsula, simplified Arabia (Arabic: الجزيرة العربية al-jazīra al-ʿarabiyya, « Arabian island ») is a peninsula of Western Asia situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian plate. From a geological perspective, it is considered a subcontinent of Asia.
It is the largest peninsula in the world, at 3,237,500 km2 (1,250,000 sq mi). The Arabian Peninsula consists of the countries Yemen, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates as well as parts of southern Iraq and Jordan. The peninsula formed as a result of the rifting of the Red Sea between 56 and 23 million years ago, and is bordered by the Red Sea to the west and southwest, the Persian Gulf to the northeast, the Levant (including Iraq) to the north and the Indian Ocean to the southeast. The Arabian Peninsula plays a critical geopolitical role in the Middle East and the Arab world due to its vast reserves of oil and natural gas.
Before the modern era, it was divided into four distinct regions: Hejaz, Najd, Southern Arabia and Eastern Arabia. Hejaz and Najd make up most of Saudi Arabia. Southern Arabia consists of Yemen and some parts of Saudi Arabia and Oman (Dhofar). Eastern Arabia consists of the entire coastal strip of the Persian Gulf.
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